Sarah Ahmed – The Wine Detective

Monday’s Sip & Savour South African wine tasting at Michelin-starred Indian restaurant Tamarind was a great success.  The wines  perfectly showcased the Cape’s strength in diversity, the food was terrific and, though spicy food can prove challenging for wine, we enjoyed some fine matches – the white wines really came into their own.

Aperitif

With its passionfruit underscored by steely, grapefruity acidity, our aperitif, the aromatic and refreshingly crisp Groote Post Sauvignon Blanc 2010 from Darling’s Groenekloof ward demonstrated why South Africa is the go to place for New World Sauvignon.  It sits neatly between New Zealand’s upfront style and the more restrained wines of the Loire and teed up our palates beautifully.

First course

An array of dishes provided plenty of options for our starter wines, Julien Schaal Mountain Vineyards Chardonnay 2009 (Western Cape) and Land’s End Syrah 2007 (Elim) both of which excellent wines I’ve previously written up (see here and here):

Spiced chickpeas and whole-wheat crisps with mint chutney and sweetened yoghurt topped with blueberries and tamarind chutney – both wines (yes surprisingly the red too), dealt with this course in their stride.  Not sighworthy but no jarring notes either thanks to the red’s fine tannins, well-defined fruit and fresh balancing acidity. 

Tiger prawns marinated with ginger, yoghurt, paprika, ground spices, dill leaves and ajwain – Julien Schaal’s coolly elegant Chardonnay (just 13% abv) worked well with the super-fresh prawns, its acidity adroitly balancing the heat of the dish.

Supreme of chicken marinated with ginger, green chilli, cream cheese, coriander stem and cardamom - again, with enough silky texture to handle the cream cheese marinade and the divinely tender chicken, Schaal’s Chardonnay really came into its own, running with the delicate coriander notes and cooling the chilli heat with its mouthcleansing acidity to the finish.  

Ground lamb kabab with garlic, green chilli, cheese and spices, finished with mixed peppers – no surprises here, the Lands End Syrah worked best.  Its oak spice and peppery notes found echo in the dish; high alcohol (14.71%) emphasised the chilli – fans of Vindaloo-level heat step this way!

Second course 

Each of our main course options found a great partner in our wines, de Morgenzon Reserve Chenin Blanc 2009 (Stellenbosch) and Raats Cabernet Franc 2007 (Stellenbosch) and the rich, honeyed yet fresh and subtly oak spiced Chenin proved impressively versatile with the vegetable accompaniments (baby aubergine in onion-tomato masala flavoured with ground spices and nigella seeds, potatoes and okra with cumin, ginger and tomato and slow cooked black lentils, a specialty of the Northwest frontier).

Chicken tikka in creamed fresh tomatoes flavoured with ginger, green chillies and crushed fenugreek leaves - the tomatoey sauce could have made life difficult but, from elevated vineyards, the De Morgenzon Chenin had enough freshness to work in tandem with the acidity of the tomato, while its honeyed notes lent an attractive sweetness to the dish and provided the mouthfeel/weight to power through the spices.

Delicately spiced boneless lamb with browned onions, ginger and Kashmiri chillies – flavoursome, textured and gamy, the lamb worked extremely well with the Raats Cabernet Franc’s fine tannins and spicy, intense yet balanced palate.  Its enticing perfume chimed perfectly with the fragance lunch theme too.  

Dessert

Just one dessert for our final wine, the delicately perfumed and fresh Jordan Mellifera Riesling Noble Late Harvest 2010(Stellenbosch):

Tandoor grilled pineapple marinated with ground spices and honey, served with tropical fruit sorbet – the youthful Jordan teamed well with the pineapple and spices – a good match in terms of sweetness, flavour profile and freshness, though the exuberantly fruity, quite creamy sorbet was a step too far for this delicate wine!

Reflections

The Chenin Blanc, a rich yet balanced powerhouse with sweet honeyed notes, proved the most versatile match with our spicy fare.  Unsurprising when you think about its affinity with Cape Malay dishes.  Still, the Julien Schaal Chardonnay won my match of the day award  – a perfect match for the equally fine, sublime even supreme of chicken marinated with ginger, green chilli, cream cheese, coriander stem and cardamom.

Selected for their fine tannins, subtle spicing, intensity and freshness, the reds proved good matches for the red meat dishes, working in harmony with the spices (tannins can clash horribly with spices). 

Cape Riesling lacks the intensity and power of Rieslings from Germany, Alsace or Australia, which requires careful matching – fresh, not overly sweet fruit dishes are the order of the day.